Technical information
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only bank scanned (exclusive mode), or is added to current banks scanned (non-exclusive mode). The length
of dwell time spent in either mode can be tailored to your own situation. If activity is detected within the
SmartBank of frequencies during the dwell time, the dwell timer is reset so you can continue to monitor the
action.
For example, you can designate the air emergency frequency 121.5000 as a key frequency. When it becomes
active, you can have your scanner stop everything else it is doing and exclusively scan just those frequencies
related to the air emergency frequency, like the local tower, ground control, rescue squad and air port security,
or you can include them with the other frequencies being scanned in what we call the
non-exclusive mode. Once the action settles down, normal scanning resumes. And this is just one of many
uses for SmartScan.
Another unique feature to Probe is "Hyperbanks". With just one simple keystroke, this feature immediately
activates any combination of 99 scanning banks. Each of the ten available Hyperbanks can be customized
with a description so you can easily remember what each Hyperbank is designed to monitor. Hyperbanks
allows the OptoScan to become a tactical system, where it is quickly and easily reconfigured to the needs of
the moment. Rather than switching to the a "banks" screen, deactivating and then activating the appropriate
banks, you only have to press one function key and go. Thus, with the ten function keys having a separate
banks configuration, it is like having ten scanners available, all at the touch of one key.
Say you have any number of banks setup to suit your interests. There’s a bank for fire, another for media and
another for local government. You can configure the "F1" key to activate these three banks and describe it
as "Working Fire". Other banks could include your favorite frequency banks such as federal law enforcement,
local and state law enforcement. Configure the "F10" key with these banks and describe it as Favorite
Frequencies . When a major event occurs, press "F1" and the fire, media and local government banks are
immediately activated. When everything is finished, press "F10" and you are back to your normal
configuration.
These are just a couple of the many functions Probe implements which demonstrate what true computer
controlled scanning can do for the scannist. We’re able to provide functions which go beyond the stock
scanners capabilities. And it doesn’t stop there. One of the more simple advantages of computer controlled
scanning is being able to trade frequency data with one another. A number of my fellow scannists who
belong to our local club and have Probe make it a regular habit of trading floppy disks at meetings. Rather
than having to take notes and go back to our scanners to reprogram them, we simply load the disk into
the program and voila! It’s kind of like trading scanners amongst ourselves. There’s also the ability to share
"universal" and out-of-town frequency data. Last time I attended the Dayton Hamfest, Dave Marshall,
Editor of the All Ohio Scanner Club Journal, e-mailed me a copy of his frequency data. And finally, Probe has
the ability to import frequency data from PerCon’s FCC database. You can import in a subset of frequency
data for your monitoring position using what we call a "radius search". You specify your latitude, longitude and
the mileage of the radius you’re interested in. Probe automatically breaks down the frequency data
by bank; each bank containing a specific service group and a description of the service. Needless to say, any
of this sure beats a programming the scanner by hand.
Additional notes and corrections to the last review:
Probe requires 640K conventional memory, 512K free; not the 8MB suggested in the previous article. To use
the radio normally does not require a physical disconnect of the computer; one needs simply to quit
the scanning process in the software.
The regular price for Probe is $129.95 + $7.95 for S/H. Subscribers of "The Urban DX’er" can purchase
Probe for a limited time for $89.95 + $7.95 S/H by mentioning this
article.